Panzerkampfwagen II
The Panzerkampfwagen II was a family of German tanks used in World War II. Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while more advanced tanks were developed, it nonetheless went on to play an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. By the end of 1942 it had been largely removed from front line service, and production of the tank itself ceased by 1943. Its chassis remained in use as the basis of several other armored vehicles. Ausf. F Continuing the conventional design of the Ausf. C, the Ausf. F was designed as a reconnaissance tank and served in the same role as the earlier models. The superstructure front was made from a single piece armor plate with a redesigned visor. Also a dummy visor was placed next to it to reduce anti-tank rifle bullets hitting the real visor. The hull was redesigned with a flat 35 mm plate on its front, and armor of the superstructure and turret were built up to 30 mm on the front with 15 mm to the sides and rear. There was some minor alteration of the suspension and a new commander's cupola as well. Weight was increased to 9.5 tonnes. 524 were built from March 1941 to December 1942 as the final major tank version of the Panzer II series. BF1942 2014-10-11 21-04-50-21.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-04-53-01.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-04-59-63.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-05-06-84.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-05-13-88.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-05-17-72.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-07-11-39.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-07-13-58.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-07-16-48.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 21-06-17-51.jpg P2 Gray.jpg|Panzer II P2 desert.jpg|Panzer II desert Panzer2.jpeg PanzerII.jpg Panzer II Ausf. F Pillbox This is an example how smart Germans are in building fortifications like the Siegfriedlinie or the popular and the infamous Atlantikwall. Some tanks that were damaged in some way but could be used for other purposes like a carriage for new vehicles in roles like tank destroyers or as weaponry for bunkers. The Panzer II is an example of this. Used as tank destroyer (Marder), Sp Howitzer (Wespe) or the turret as stationary anti-tank/infantry gun. It was mounted on a small bunker that was dug down in the ground. It can be entered via stairs behind the turret. The turret ingame is from the Ausf. F variant. Ausf. G The PzKpfw II Ausf G, also known as the VK901, was a light reconnaissance tank that was used by the armies of Nazi Germany during World War II. The VK901 was an execution within the Panzerkampfwagen II series with the main objective to increase the speed of the Panzer II tank. The VK901 had a completely new suspension with on each track, five overlapping wheels. There is no evidence that VK901 was deployed to an active front. There were a number of VK901 turrets deployed in fortified positions. At Least 12 vehicles are built. Like you can see on the picture left, the Ausf G have saw indeed combat during World War Two. About the survivors, so far we know none of them have survive the war. The tank ingame is a good tank. You can find this tank on the desert Battlefields like Supercharge. It may be a small tank with low armor, but his small stature and speed make this a difficult target + it is capable of climb on steep slopes like the mountain on the Supercharghe map (it can reach the highest top on the map. Test it by Fritz-Kempf). However all this, the gun still the same 20mm Kampfwagenkanone 30 L/55 wich be used on the Ausf F. Possible to destroy light armor and some medium tanks like the British Crusader. A Churchill, wich also be medium tank, is to strong for the gun. Using the Panzer II requires tactic and patience in destroying heavier opponents. There was also a tank destroyer version of the Ausf. G. This was the Panzerselbstfahrlafette Ic equiped with a 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 AT-gun. BF1942 2014-10-11 20-53-19-96.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-53-22-25.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-53-26-59.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-53-29-73.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-53-34-54.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-54-44-96.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-54-47-58.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-54-50-83.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-54-55-92.jpg BF1942 2014-10-11 20-52-53-06.jpg Ausf. L "Luchs" All these projects led to the Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.L "Luchs" (VK1303). Not just a renewed design of the hull and turret. But a improved Transmission unit for reconnaissance and a smoke launcher as a possibility to escape from enemy tanks by making the tank invisible behind the smokescreen. In addition a special high-powered "HL-100" Engine which can generate twice the power than the engine used in VK901 while its size is not much different. BF1942 2013-12-08 12-54-12-14.jpg BF1942 2013-12-08 12-54-33-82.jpg BF1942 2013-12-08 12-54-26-93.jpg BF1942 2013-12-08 12-54-22-14.jpg BF1942 2014-08-10 21-38-19-14.jpg BF1942 2014-08-10 21-38-26-03.jpg BF1942 2014-08-10 21-38-30-90.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-37-09-93.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-36-44-69.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-37-00-06.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-35-40-71.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-39-47-63.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-39-50-94.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-39-59-35.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-40-03-68.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 15-40-12-59.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 20-06-10-61.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 20-15-09-24.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 20-15-11-77.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 20-15-15-63.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 20-15-22-02.jpg Ausf. M The VK1301 alias Ausf. M with improved armor and a new powerfull engine was first time able to reach the demanded speed. It also had a experimental "Taper-Bore machine gun" (the only example in history where such a weapon was installed in a tank) which was able to destroy heavy russian tanks by using a special APCNR ammunition. Despite the good results with use in combat, only four were built but saw no action. The problem for Germany was that the raw material for the bullets was valuable and limited tungsten which was needed for other ammunition. The tank ingame is a good tank. It used on late war maps like Alpenfestung and Operation Spring Awaking. It may be a small tank with low armor, but his small stature and speed make this a difficult target. Also the gun is strong enough to even destroy the American T29 Heavy tank wich make this tank an excellent tank interceptor. External links * Wikipedia entry Category:German Equipment Category:Light tanks Category:Bunkers and fortifications Category:Italian Equipment